But There Was Another
by selfishshipper
Summary: A false name. A mask that conceals. This is the story of, as everyone would know her, Madilyn Ridel. Well, knew. But that name is twisted, that name is wrong. This girl holds secrets and this girl holds lies. She isn't like her father, and she isn't going down without a fight. But in the end, it's all for nothing. {Working to finish. I'll update with all chapters once I'm done}
1. Chapter 1

**Wooaahhhh, hey guys! Now, I know what you're thinking. 'S.S., you have way too much unfinished work to complete! Why are you making ANOTHER fanfic?' To answer you're question, I can only say this. My friend made me. I was gonna be a smart author and prewrite, but NOOOOOOO, I had to publish this the second I was done with the first chapter. Thanks, friend of mine (you know who you are). So, welcome to the story that's been in my head for WAYYYY too long. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Side note: So the main ship is Drarry but since I wanted to stick with the version that in my head, this story itself is OC x Draco with A LOT of underlying tension from our two favorite wizards. I have like a sequal type thingy that's gonna be happening so just hold onto your tits okay people. You can leave if you so desire.**

 **Disclaimer: Haven't done this in a while. Let's start out simple. Ehem. I don't own Harry Potter.**

Madilyn shoved the last piece of equipment into her trunk. She zipped it up and checked to make sure it was fully closed before shrinking it down and putting it in her pocket. Though this was her first year at Hogwarts, which she thought was a miracle she was even allowed to go there, she had learned a few tricks. Small bits of magic, but handy. _Magic_ , the word floated in her head. Always a prominent trait, always a part of her life, being a magical being. She checked her reflection in the filthy mirror. Yup, same dreadfully boring, long brown hair. Same stereotypical teal blue eyes. Same porcelain skin that couldn't last three minutes in the sunshine. Same brown sweater, same white skirt, same black flats. With everything so similar, she knew it might be nice to finally get something different.

Madilyn heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she smiled, seeing the one person who could lift her spirits at any moment in time. Albus Dumbledore. He smiled back at her, eyes twinkling.

"Are you ready, Ms.-?"

"Ridel," Madilyn answered, "for now."

The old man gave her a knowing look and nodded, "Right then, Ms. Ridel. Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said, smiling to herself.

"Then let's go."

Madilyn followed him out of her room and through the hallway. He lead her past many other rooms, most of which had their doors shut. The atmosphere was gray, almost pitiful. It was always like that, but more so now that Madilyn was leaving. It was like any ordinary orphanage, yet it almost seemed too obvious. She and the professor made their way down the stairs and into the main room. No one even glanced up to see the girl who was leaving. Not that they would care, just one less mouth to feed. Of course, she would be coming back the next summer, it seemed like a lifetime away. Maybe, now, she'd be at a place where she was normal. Where she was accepted. Though, most would laugh at the thought if they knew her. Her secret was almost too obvious to hide. But to finally be around those who could understand… maybe…

They were out of the building now, Dumbledore stopping in front of her. Madilyn knew full well the man didn't trust her, now matter how much he covered it up with his six foot smile. She didn't necessarily know why, though she could probably put together a hypothesis. Heritage, perhaps?

Madilyn turned to look at her old home, the gray and red building covered in dirt and withered with age. It was such a plain orphanage, it looked like it belonged in a movie. It was, technically, still her home, just not so much now. And Madilyn could only guess the wonders she would find at Hogwarts. Friends, a family, people that would accept her. She was ready to hand out her friendship on a silver platter. She didn't care what house she was in, she didn't care what classes she would accel at, if any at all. All she wanted was the family that Hogwarts might have for her.

The crisp air started to warm as the sun rose, spilling light over the dreadful city. Oh, how she longed to get away from it all, to see a world of magic and wizards, light and dark, good and bad. Somewhere she would truly belong, as oppose to this place, where she was the only flower in a field of weeds. Unwanted for her beauty and stripped of what she needed most. Surrounded by beings that crushed her more and more every day.

"My lady," Dumbledore offered, breaking Madilyn from her poetic trance. She looked at the old man, who was extending a hand to her. She took it, although not quite prepared for the suffocation and nausea that followed. She stumbled and fell, landing on the hard ground. She smiled at her own clumsiness, standing up and dusting herself off. When she turned, however, the old man was gone. Madilyn didn't panic, she only laughed. She immediately knew where she was. The bright scarlet train sat on its rails, puffing smoke as if anxious to move forward. People surrounded her, people who were so much like her. The air was warmer here, and the light caused everything to glow just a bit. She studied all the people around her. Children everywhere, some getting on the train, some staying behind, looking sad and annoyed. Teenagers all strutting like they owned the place, bearing a confidence Madilyn knew not. Adults, parents, grandparents, all waving and crying at their children.

Madilyn pushed through the crowd, making her way up to the entrance. The inside of the train seemed so far away, the new world she would soon see miles from her reach. Yet there it was, her chance, her opportunity, painted in scarlet and puffing smoke by the second. She moved onto a step, then another, and now finding herself inside the train, she could now only think of the unknown world that awaited her. Magic, monsters, fairy tales, the whole lot of it, all now in Madilyn's grasp. She was free.

Free to move forward and find a compartment. Free to meet someone that might change her life forever. With so many paths in front of her, she could only imagine what possibilities were in store for her. Because no matter what she did, where she sat, or who she sat with, there was an outcome. Maybe one that would take place within minutes, maybe one that would only be a reality after years. Whatever it may be, Madilyn had never been more excited to find out.

And so she took that first step.

Of course, a step couldn't be responsible for pain and suffering, happiness and love, loss and heartbreak. It's just a step, which lead to another, which lead to…

 _a brand new future._

 **Whoop whoop, more work for me! Yay. Guys, I need an HP related catch phrase. Any suggestions? Well, for now...**

 **No Tony Stark in a dress here (poor Dumbledore), STAY QUEER MY FRIENDS!**

 **(and uh, maybe review while ur at it?)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow this took way too long to write. Sorry guys but I was struck down with the worst Writer's Block** **that I've ever experienced. I could not write to save my life. So sorry if this chapter isn't very good, I always try to make sure my writing is good as possible but I really just needed to get something out here. Anyways, we get to meet a certain blonde in this chapter... I'm sure it's very difficult to figure out who.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure no one has to do this but for the lols am I right? Ehhh yeah I don't own Harry Potter.**

So, who does she sit with? Such an elementary question, with such childish reasoning. But, it was true, in this case and in all, who ever Madilyn Ridel sat with would change her future forever. But, she was no seer, therefore, all she could do was guess. After all, that's all anyone can ever do in life. Simply guess which path to take, so Madilyn took the one that required a little more walking. She kept forward, looking at each compartment with observant eyes. Although, at this point, most of them were full, so her choices were limited.

Madilyn felt the train pull to a start, the contraption finally making it's way to the destination it so craved to find. Yet, she still kept forward, her hopes dropping a little as she was starting to find that every available seat was now taken. Until, the first ray of sunshine hit her. She spotted a compartment that only held two people. One was a girl with bushy brown hair and brown eyes. She was holding a book in one hand and her wand in another. Across from her was a boy. He was chubby with brown hair and beady brown eyes. Madilyn made her way to the compartment, knocking on the door and grasping their attention.

"I'm sorry, all the other compartments are full. May I…?" Madilyn asked, watching the two with hope. The girl put down her book.

"Of course," she answered, scooching to make room. Madilyn smiled, entering the compartment and sitting next to her. The boy only watched curiously.

"My name's Madilyn, by the way," she added. "Madilyn Ridel."

"I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Neville Longbottom," the girl acknowledged, picking up her book. The boy, Neville, only waved. Madilyn smiled back, noting that he would probably get smacked in the face by puberty, as karma would have it. She turned back to Hermione, noticing she was holding her wand again.

"Are you trying a spell?" Madilyn questioned.

"Yes, it's one I've been working on for ages," Hermione answered, not looking up. She waved her wand a whispered ' _Glacius",_ causing a puff of light blue mist to come from the tip of her wand.

"Isn't that an advanced spell?" Madilyn asked curiously.

"Yes, well, I had my parents pick up a few of the more advanced books for a bit of practice," Hermione answered, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"They must be proud," Madilyn commented, watching as Hermione retried the spell.

"More shocked, actually. Magic is a whole new topic for them," she replied.

"You're muggle born?" Madilyn asked in shock.

"Yeah, got a problem?" Hermione sassed back. Madilyn shook her head quickly.

"No, just, it's quite surprising you're able to perform advanced magic like that," she answered. "I'm a pureblood and I can only do a few of the standards."

"Me as well," Neville finally said something. "It's impressive."

Hermione blushed a little at the praise, trying to focus on the spell. Madilyn noticed an odd sound coming from Neville's side of the compartment.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry, that's Trevor. He's my toad," Neville answered, reaching behind a suitcase that sat next to him. He pulled out a large, gray blob, that Madilyn soon found out was a toad.

"Oh… interesting."

* * *

"He's gone missing!"

"Who has?" Madilyn asked, putting down her book.

"Trevor! He's not here!" Neville screeched, his head turning in distress.

"Are you sure?" Hermione questioned, putting her own book down in annoyance. "We can go check the other compartments if you can't find him."

"I'm really sorry, I don't know where he went," Neville sputtered, looking ashamed.

"It's fine. We'll find him, don't worry," Madilyn insisted, standing up. The other two followed.

"I'll go right, you two go left. He's bound to be here somewhere," Hermione instructed. Madilyn nodded and lead Neville down the train. As she passed more compartments, she asked those inside if they had seen a toad. No one seemed to know where Trevor was. After a while, somehow, Madilyn lost Neville. He had wandered in some different direction. She shrugged it off, continuing to ask more students if they knew the whereabouts of this toad. As she reached the end of the train, she came up on one of the last compartments. Inside were three boys and one girl. She didn't necessarily recognize the one with striking blonde hair, there was just something familiar about him. She slid open the door, immediately sensing the more dominant atmosphere.

"Has anyone seen a toad? One of my friends lost his," she asked, grasping the attention of the four students. They all eyed her suspiciously, the blonde bearing an ever so subtle smirk.

"I hope you don't mean Longbottom. That boy may as well be a squib with his talent," he stated. His friends all laughed, causing Madilyn to feel uneasy. She already didn't like these people.

"He's probably got more magical capability than you," she defended, glaring at the boy. She was about to leave when the blonde stood up, his smirk turning into a frown.

"Yeah? And who might you be?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Madilyn, Madilyn Ridel," that caught him off guard. She didn't know why, but she had a pretty good theory. His eyes widened and something seemed to click inside his head. His smirk was back in seconds.

"Draco Malfoy," he stated, his voice now much less aggressive. "I'd assume you're familiar with my surname?"

"Never heard it in my life," Madilyn retorted, shoving him back and slamming the door shut. She turned and walked away before anyone could stop her, leaving the blonde and his friends in confusion. She stalked down the train, smiling at her actions. She wasn't about to let anyone ruin her time at Hogwarts. Once she found her way back to her own compartment, she saw Neville and Hermione waiting there for her.

"Any luck?" she asked once the door was closed. Both shook their heads. "Sorry Neville."

"It's fine. He'll show up eventually," the boy replied unhappily.

"I met Harry Potter," Hermione suddenly burst out, catching the other two's attention.

"Really?" they both squeaked.

"Yeah, he was really nice," Hermione added, smiling slightly. Madilyn giggled at her antics.

"Well, I met a prat by the end of the train. Said his name was Malfoy," Madilyn commented, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, him? The Malfoy family is one of the biggest pure-blood families out there. And their huge gits," Neville said, shaking his head. "I reckon he'll be a Slytherin for sure."

"I'd like to be as far away from him as possible, thank you very much. He practically radiated prejudice," Madilyn commented. Sitting down, she took notice to how dark it was getting outside. She figured that maybe she should change into her robes.

And that's when it really hit her. Hogwarts. She was here. She now had a whole new future, a whole new life to look forward to. And she was going to make the most of every moment.

Of course, she was only ten at the time. She couldn't possibly understand that life wasn't going to let her off so easily. No, there would be times when even she wished that Dumbledore had never spoken to her. That she was still in her orphanage. But, for the time being, she let herself be happy.

 **Yeah, definitely a shitty chapter compared to the last one but eh, I might rewrite it later. Also, I got a suggestion from one of my reviewers for the HP catch phrase so here it goes.**

 **Ehem**

 **Hold on**

 **Here we go**

 **The suspense is killing me**

 **Accio reviews!**

 **See this is why I never got my letter.**

 **Thanks for your suggestions!**


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